Ohme ePod vs Andersen Quartz: £286 for a prettier wall

£286 apart, and almost nothing in common

The Ohme ePod and Andersen Quartz sit in the same product category — wall-mounted home EV charger — and share almost no design philosophy. The ePod is a 1.48 kg puck with a built-in 4G SIM and the smartest tariff software on the UK market. The Quartz is a hand-finished unit available in eleven colours with a seven-year warranty and an IP65 rating. One is an appliance; the other is closer to exterior joinery.

• Ohme ePod — £409, untethered, OZEV-approved. The brains of the Ohme Home Pro in a unit smaller than a hardback novel. You supply the cable.
• Andersen Quartz — £695, tethered or untethered, OZEV status unconfirmed. Eleven finishes, 7-year warranty, IP65. The Andersen you buy when the A3 at £995 is too dear.

What the ePod's £286 saving actually buys

It buys better software and worse aesthetics. The ePod has direct tariff-API links to Octopus, OVO, and British Gas — meaning it can chase half-hourly rates on Octopus Agile, set a price cap so it never charges above a figure you choose, and optimise sessions on Intelligent Octopus Go without needing your car's own API to do the work. The Quartz added Intelligent Octopus Go and OVO Charge Anytime integration in September 2025, which is welcome, but it still cannot track Agile's half-hourly slots or set a price ceiling. On a fixed off-peak tariff like Octopus Go — 8.5p/kWh, 00:30–05:30 — either charger schedules adequately. On anything variable, the ePod is in a different class.

The ePod is also OZEV-approved. For eligible renters and flat owners, the £500 grant covers the £409 unit outright and chips into the install. The Quartz's OZEV status is unconfirmed — buyers counting on the grant should verify before ordering, or look elsewhere.

The catch: you need a Type 2 cable. Budget £100–£200, which narrows the real gap to roughly £86–£186. Still firmly in the ePod's favour, but not the headline figure.

When the Quartz earns the wall

Two scenarios. First: the charger is mounted on a front-facing wall where you — or a planning-conscious neighbour — will see it daily. The Quartz's eleven standard finishes, plus optional Accoya and carbon inserts, make it the only charger on the UK market that looks deliberate rather than tolerated. The ePod is small enough to be discreet, but it is a white plastic disc. There is no colour option.

Second: warranty length matters to you more than annual savings. The Quartz's seven-year cover is matched in the catalogue only by the Simpson & Partners Home 7. The ePod's three years is the shortest among the major smart chargers — a real consideration if you plan to stay in the house for a decade and would rather not think about the thing on the wall.

The Quartz also carries an IP65 rating against the ePod's IP54. On a fully exposed wall with no overhang, that difference is load-bearing. The ePod is rated for sheltered outdoor use; the Quartz handles driving rain without qualification.

The cable question

The ePod ships untethered — no cable in the box, no cable on the wall. For some buyers this is the point: the cable lives in the boot, ready for destination charging, and the wall stays clean. For others it is an annoyance and an extra cost. The Quartz offers both tethered (5.5 m or 8.5 m) and socketed versions, so you choose at purchase. If you want a tethered setup and dislike the ePod's cable-not-included model, the comparison tilts toward the Quartz — or, more honestly, toward the Ohme Home Pro at £535, which is the same Ohme brain with a built-in 5 m cable and a display, for £160 less than the Quartz.

Which to buy

Buy the Ohme ePod if:

• You are on a variable tariff, or plan to be — the software advantage is decisive
• You are OZEV-eligible and want the grant to cover the unit price entirely
• Wall space is tight, Wi-Fi does not reach the drive, or you want the cable in the boot

Buy the Andersen Quartz if:

• The charger sits on a visible wall and finish matters enough to justify £286
• You want a seven-year warranty and IP65 weatherproofing without paying £995 for the A3
• You are on a simple fixed off-peak tariff like Octopus Go and do not need half-hourly optimisation

For most buyers — renters claiming the grant, anyone on a variable tariff, anyone who would rather spend £286 on electricity than on wall décor — the ePod is the sounder purchase. The Quartz is a fine charger sold to a narrow audience: people who care what their house looks like and are willing to pay for it. Nothing wrong with that. But the ePod will save more money, on more tariffs, for more years than the difference in warranty covers.